In cellular radio communication systems, such as mobile networks, a process known as handover is used to provide e.g. mobility for a user equipment (UE) and load balancing between two base stations. The handover is typically signified by that the user equipment is served by one of the base stations, aka a source base station, before the handover and by the other base station, aka a target base station, after the handover.
In order for the source base station to be able to take a decision about that the handover should be performed, it may make a prediction about quality of service for the user equipment. The prediction concerns quality of service as when the user equipment would be served by the target base station.
The prediction is performed by use of one or more Performance Prediction Models (PPMs). For example, a first PPM may be given by a function f and a second PPM may be given by a function h. Thus, for the first PPM, a predicted performance, such as a predicted throughput, PPM_1=f (p1, . . . , pN). Here, p1, . . . , pN are input parameters, which defines a given network condition of the mobile network. For example, p1 is Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), p2 is Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) and p3 is the network load in terms of resource block utilization per Transmission Time Interval. An exemplifying prediction model may use linear interpolation to find the predicted performance.
In an exemplifying algorithm for taking the decision about the handover, the predicted performance (PPM_target) at the target base station is compared to a Measured Performance (MP) at the source base station, e.g. MP_source, and the handover should be performed if the predicted throughput at the target base station, i.e. PPM_target, exceeds the one measured in the source base station, i.e. MP_source.
The source base station thus has to obtain the input parameters p1, . . . , pN associated to the target base station, e.g. via an inter-base station interface, in order to feed its model, e.g. the PPM_1, and compute the PPM_target, i.e. the predicted throughput.
Throughput prediction may be solved in various manners by different vendors that provide radio access network nodes, such as base station, eNBs, etc. This means that different base stations, e.g. from different companies, may have different prediction models that require different subsets of the input parameters p1, . . . , pN. In some cases, the model of a given vendor only needs p1, p2 while the model of another vendor requires p1, p4, p5 . . . pN. More explicitly, different number of input parameters are required for models of different vendors.
A standardization of which input parameters should be reported may enable base stations from different vendors to be able to cooperate. A traditional way of standardizing is to define that all the input parameters that are relevant to all the vendors should be reported. As a result, those input parameters that are required by a model of a specific vendor will always be available, since all input parameters that possibly could be required by any model should be reported.
As an alternative solution, a minimum set of input parameters common to models of all vendors could be required to be reported. Then, additional reporting would in some, or even in many cases, be required in order to provide the required input parameters for a specific model of some certain vendor. If the additional reporting is not performed, the specific model cannot be used.
A problem with the traditional way is that an interface between e.g. a source base station and a target base station may be heavily loaded by the vast number of input parameters that are to be reported. This problem may be solved by the alternative solution above. However, the alternative solution suffers from the drawback that additional measurements and reports will need to be performed in many cases or else the model cannot be used.